June Jones was ready to move.

It appeared to be a done deal this past December that Jones, a former Hawaii quarterback and head coach, would leave Southern Methodist to become Arizona State’s head football coach.

Jones said his agent "called me, and they said they agreed to terms."

But the day the deal was to be finalized, the offer was pulled.

"The good Lord didn’t want me to go there at this moment," said Jones, who was in Hawaii recently before going on a goodwill trip to American Samoa.

There were reports that negative reaction from fans and boosters helped squash the offer.

Jones said the ASU job "appealed to me," but did not specify what ended negotiations.

"It’s over and behind me," said Jones, who was allowed back at SMU. "I don’t really deal with all of that stuff. I’m happy to be where I’m at."

Jones said he was "open" with SMU administrators about his intent to pursue the ASU opening.

He said listening to offers is "the name of the game" in college football’s uncertain climate.

"If I lose 10 games next year, they’ll want to fire me," Jones added. "It’s the nature of the business. The people of SMU have been really gracious to me."

Jones said his SMU contract runs through 2016. There have been talks about a contract extension.

Either way, Jones said, "this is my last job."

He said he won’t pursue another coaching job.

"I think the president has stepped up and made some unbelievable decisions this year," Jones said. "Hiring Larry Brown (as basketball coach) was great. They made a commitment they want to be in the top 20 in football and basketball."

This coming academic year will be SMU’s last in Conference USA. The Mustangs will join the Big East in the summer of 2014.

"It’s going to be interesting," Jones said. "There are a lot of opportunities that are going to happen. I think there are some issues with Louisville and Cincinnati talking about this and that. It’ll be interesting to see what happens once the TV contracts are put together."

As for the overall NCAA landscape, Jones said, "There are going to be some changes in some of the bigger conferences, too. I don’t think it’s all flushed out yet."

Jones said he favors a playoff system that incorporates or maintains the current bowls.

"There’s a way to do it," he said. "They’ll figure it out."

Jones said there is one certainty: He will retire in Hawaii. He said his cell phone still has an "808" prefix. He still follows Hawaii news on the Internet.

"Hawaii, for the better part of my adult life, is home," Jones said. "Going to college here, I’ve made a lot of friends. This is a great place for me to call home."